


Brothers

by JaneyKatherineHummingbird



Series: Snippets of Sadness and Angst [6]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Angst, Brotherly Love, Gen, Jim has a twin, Star Trek Into Darkness, i did That Scene yet again, implied McKirk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-06-09 15:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6913408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneyKatherineHummingbird/pseuds/JaneyKatherineHummingbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yet another warp core fic, this time with Jim having a twin brother watching it all go down. Angsty ahoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a post by @thewinningscenario on tumbler where Jim has a twin. Of course, my mind instantly went here.

"Jim! What the heck are you doing in there?!! You just killed yourself!!" 

There was a frantic pounding on the glass against which the Captain lay, breathing painful gasps of deadly air. His eyes opened at the sound of his twin's voice, and another kind of pain consumed him. He'd be leaving his brother behind, hurting Jake terribly. But he had to save them. There was no other choice.

"Jake," he gasped, "I'm sorry. Couldn't let everybody die because of my mistakes, especially you and Bones."

Another stab of pain pierced him at the thought of Bones, his best friend and confidante for both brothers. He'd blown him off a lot in his single-minded attempt at revenge on Khan and everything had gone horribly wrong. 

"I would have gone in with you, Jake whispered desperately, tears running down his face, "we could have gone out with a bang together. We always do."

Jim gave a weak smile. The brothers were practically inseparable, no matter what they did, whether it was giving their mother grey hairs, picking up people in bars, brawling, Starfleet, or driving Bones and Spock crazy.

"Well, this is.....something...I didn't want you to share," whispered Jim, unable to hide his pain. Radiation poisoning was something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy, let alone his much-loved twin. "Besides, you've got to take care of Bones for me." 

Matching blue eyes met across the glass in a silent understanding. Only Jake knew just how much Bones meant to his brother. It hurt even worse, knowing what Jim's death would do to the doctor. Jake leaned his head against the glass, wishing he could at least hold his brother and take away the agony written all over Jim's face. 

The sound of footsteps interrupted their his vigil as Spock ran into the room. Jake turned around and shook his head, the look on his face saying everything. The Vulcan hesitated, as if unsure if he wasn't intruding on their goodbye. Jim saw him and motioned him forward with an awkward jerk.

"How's the ship?", he gasped out.

"Out of Danger. You saved the crew." Spock replied. He looked calm, but Jake detected a definite tremor in his voice. 

"It's what you would have done," Jim forced out, "Only Logical." 

Spock definitely winced at these words. Bet his precious logic was pretty cold comfort right now, Jake thought bitterly. He was still irritated with the Commander from the Nibiru mess. All that trouble Jim went to to save him from the volcano and Spock repaid him by throwing him under the bus.

Jim's face contorted with pain and something like fear. "I'm scared, Spock. How do you choose not to feel?" 

Jake let out a sob at these words. Jim was fearless, nothing phased him. He always proclaimed he didn't believe in no-win scenarios. Jake desperately wished he could crawl in the chamber and comfort Jim, die with him even. Spock's answer stunned him.

"I do not know. Right now I am failing." That was definitely a quiver. Wonder of wonders, a tear rolled down the first officer's face. 

Jim spoke again, but it was a great struggle. Death was coming any moment now. 

"I want you to know why I couldn't let you die. Why I went back for you," he gasped out. "Because you are my friend," supplied Spock. 

Evidently that was the right answer, because Jim smiled at the Vulcan before turning his eyes back to his brother. "Jake, love you, bro. Tell Bones I......" He couldn't finish the sentence, throat seizing up and lungs unable to work. 

"I'll tell him, Jim," whispered Jake, "And I....love you, too."

He could barely get the words out through the tears. Jim looked at him affectionately and tried to give him that smile again. Suddenly, he stiffened and then went slack, blue eyes staring vacantly into nowhere. His chest stopped rising. 

Jake's heart broke in two when he saw that his brother was no longer there. It wasn't Jim anymore, just the empty shell. Beside him, Spock let out a roar of rage and took off in a mad rush. Jake knelt in front of the chamber in a state of shock, grieving his vibrant brother. Khan would pay, and he guessed it would be via Vulcan beat down. All that remained for him was to get Jim out of there and tell Bones the awful news. He'd never dreaded anything so much in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jim, you reckless, self-sacrificing idiot, don't you dare do that again!" 

Jacob Kirk whispered these words fiercely toward his recently revived twin, whose newly opened blue eyes were looking around in bewilderment. Bones stood beside the bed, silently checking his best friends vitals, while Spock observed at a respectful distance while the brothers were reunited. 

"I love you, too, bro," Jim said weakly, cracking a smile. 

Jake almost cried with joy seeing his brother's cocky grin again. The last two weeks had been emotional torture for him: wondering if Jim would be able to handle the serum, or if he would ever wake up. Plus, Bones had been giving him the silent treatment ever since he'd carried his brother's body into Medbay after personally removing him from the decontamination chamber. It wasn't Jake's fault Jim had ended up dead. But considering how Leonard felt about Jim, it probably was hard for him to be around the identical version of the man he cared so deeply for and knowing it wasn't him. 

Bones hadn't said much to Jim since he'd awakened, either. Jake hoped those two had a very long talk soon. It was about time they stopped dancing around their feelings. But first, he was going to say his piece.

"Jim," he said seriously, "you broke our bro code. Remember, we go together, or not at all." 

The corner of Jim's mouth twitched again. "I know. I'm sorry, Jake," he sighed. "When it came down to it, I couldn't stand the thought of you dying so young, too. I couldn't stand that. And I couldn't leave Mom with just Sam, now, could I?" 

Jake shuddered. Sam and Winona did not get along at all and at least one of the younger Kirks was required to keep the peace at family gatherings.

"I guess you're right since I saw how crushed she was about losing you. She's on her way right now to give you a piece of her mind. Beware." 

Jim grimaced. "So, between the three of you, who's the angriest at me right now?" he questioned. He'd already grasped the fact Bones was avoiding both him and Jake in the short time he'd been conscious. Jake didn't take long to answer. 

He gave his brother the "don't try to hide it from me, I know you too well" look. Jim's face grew sad and he looked at his retreating Doctor longingly. 

"Yeah. I know. I'll corner him tonight once things have calmed down and he's too tired to fight me." 

"I wouldn't count on that. I've heard him practicing already." Jake warned.

"Oh, boy," Jim groaned. "He's building up a full head of steam. When he blows, it's gonna be bad. But right now I want you and Spock to tell me how you caught Khan. I heard Spock beat the crap out of him." Jake grinned. 

"That's putting it mildly. There we were, stuffing your dead body in a cryotube because some Tribble started cooing and in comes the commander with his bangs all disheveled and an unconscious psycho superhuman draped over his shoulder. It was insane." 

Jim motioned his first officer over and together Spock and Jake relayed the story of Khan's defeat and Bones's tireless efforts to bring Jim back. In the middle of the tale, Winona arrived to kiss and cry over Jim, scold both sons thoroughly, and tell them how proud she was of them. Jim was too fragile to really hug, so she squished Jake instead. He didn't mind. 

When Jim's eyelids began to drop again, Jake decided it was time to get Bones, seeing how Jim's eyes kept drifting to the doorway looking for him. He found him at a nurses station looking miserable. 

"Dr. McCoy." 

His head shot up and he was on his feet in a heartbeat. "Something wrong with Jim?" He asked, instantly heading for Jim's room.

"No, he's about to fall asleep and I think he'd like you to acknowledge him for once. You've been snubbing us all day." Jake challenged him. 

"Been busy," Bones muttered. "Jim didn't need me when he was dying, why does it matter now?"

So that was the problem. Bones was salty about not getting called to engineering when Jim was dying. Jake sighed and rubbed his neck. 

"He didn't even tell me. It's only because we think so much alike that I guessed where he was and almost beat him to it. He had already gone in and locked the door by the time I got there. I know he wanted you at the end, though. His last words were for you. He wanted me to tell you something, but he couldn't finish the sentence. Why don't you ask him what it was?" 

Bones's face went through a myriad of expressions at Jake's revelations: anger, longing, and heartbreaking devastation. To seal the deal Jake gave him the sad puppy Kirk look which never failed to sway the doctor in their favor.

"Dammit, Jake!!" He gritted out. "That's cheating! Fine, I'll go talk to your infant brother. I don't know why I put up with you two."

"Because you love us, Bones. Well, Jim at least." Jake grinned suggestively, causing Bones to make haste to Jim's room with a slightly red face. 

The results of that talk appeared to be positive when Jake went to see Jim the next morning. His brother was looking adoringly at Bones, who was smiling rather than scowling and being very gentle with the hyposprays. 

"Awww. True love conquers at last," Jake clasped his hands dramatically.

Bones started, but looked unrepentant. Jim made a rude gesture with the hand that did not have an IV in it. 

"Jimmy, is that how you appreciate the person who made you two talk it out?" Jake pretended to be hurt.

"It is when you're being a brat about it," Jim replied in an annoyed tone.

"Get used to it," Jake said, unmoved, "Mom's on her way over. If you're not careful, she'll catch on fast and you'll have an interrogation on your hands and boy, what a show that will be."

He rubbed his hands together gleefully. Jim groaned. Bones scheduled Jake for a physical and some vaccinations.


End file.
